Saturday, March 22 / 1:00 pm / ByTOwne Cinema

Program: Short Film (TBA), So Surreal: Behind the Masks, Q&A with Joanne Robertson
Guest: Joanne Robertson, co-director and co-writer of So Surreal: Behind the Masks

Feature presentation \

“From 1885 to 1951, Canadian law banned the Indigenous Potlatch ceremony. Those who defied the ban were arrested, and masks and ceremonial objects were confiscated. The Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw nation has made it their quest to track down these sacred items. In some cases, the masks travelled across the country and eventually to Europe, finding their way into museums and private art collections, as well as ending up in the hands of surrealists like Max Ernst, André Breton, and Joan Miró. So Surreal: Behind the Masks traces the delightful confluence of the Yup’ik sensibility and the Western avant-garde movement and demonstrates the tremendous impact of Indigenous art in the most unexpected corners. Neil Diamond (Reel Injun, 2009) and Joanne Robertson’s hugely entertaining film is part detective movie, part art doc. As it moves back and forth between Alert Bay, New York, and Paris, it provides an unusual and little-known perspective on art history, while highlighting the crucial work of redressing the cultural genocide perpetrated by Canadian and American authorities. Vital and vibrant, this film is an outstanding achievement.”

- Vancouver International Film Festival

Short film \

To be announced

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2024 / - minutes / -
Director: -
Language: -

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